But when a species with an extraordinarily developed organ has become the parent of many modified descendants--which on our view must be a very slow process, requiring a long lapse of time--in this case, natural selection has succeeded in giving a fixed character to the organ, in however extraordinary a manner it may have been developed.

Species inheriting nearly the same constitution from a common parent, and exposed to similar influences, naturally tend to present analogous variations, or these same species may occasionally revert to some of the characters of their ancient progenitors.

Although new and important modifications may not arise from reversion and analogous variation, such modifications will add to the beautiful and harmonious diversity of nature.
Whatever the cause may be of each slight difference between the offspring and their parents--and a cause for each must exist--we have reason to believe that it is the steady accumulation of beneficial differences which has given rise to all the more important modifications of structure in relation to the habits of each species..